Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Neritona juttingae (Mienis, 1973) (Gastropoda, Cycloneritida, Neritidae) with remarks on the phylogenetic position of the genus Neritona

In this study, the phylogenetics of an ornamental neritid snail, Neritona juttingae (Mienis, 1973), a species native to Southeast Asia and commercially distributed in Chinese markets are studied for the first time. The first complete mitochondrial genome and nuclear ribosomal RNA gene cluster are reported. Phylogenetic trees based on all mitochondrial genes strongly support the division of Neritidae into two subfamilies: Neritinae and Neritininae. Our phylogenetic analysis placed N. juttingae within Neritininae, where it forms a distinct evolutionary lineage. The monophyly of the genus Neritona remains unresolved because only one species is involved. The relationships among genera within Neritininae were poorly resolved because of the discordant topologies across datasets. Our investigation of mitochondrial gene order in Neritidae revealed highly conserved arrangements. How taxonomic misidentifications and labeling errors in public databases may impact phylogenetic inferences is discussed. This research provides baseline data for aquatic ornamental pet species, contributes to a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within Neritoidea and highlights some problems in phylogenetic analysis.